"We'll conclude our ceremony together in these pages with ten principles that sum up the philosophy we've learned in this book.
l. Don't postpone special moments. Like the hunter in the story at the beginning of the book who finds the gate to Shambhala open, each opportunity presents itself only once. If you don't embrace it, it's lost forever. Life is a question of now or never.
2. Live as if this were going to happen only once in your life. The advice given by the tea master half a millennium ago still holds. That's why it's inspiring to greet and say goodbye to our loved ones with "Ichigo ichie," to make us aware of the unique and once-in-a-lifetime nature of each meeting.
3. Dwell in the present. Journeys into the past and the future are often painful and nearly always useless. You can't change what happened. You can't know what will happen. But here in this moment, all the possibilities in the world are alive.
4. Do something you've never done before. As Einstein said, you can't do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Another way of achieving an unforgettable moment is by giving yourself over to kaika and allowing something new to blossom inside you.
5. Practice zazen. You can sit on a meditation cushion of just sit down and observe the miracle of life. The simple fact of stepping away from the daily whirlwind of hurry and obligations will open the doors to well-being.
6. Apply mindfulness to your five senses. Train yourself in the art of listening, watching, touching, tasting, and smelling to give each moment the richness of human perception. This will also allow you to be more alert to others and increase your level of empathy and influence.
7. Notice coincidences. Being aware of coincidences helps us get better at reading signs sent by the universe. A journal in which we keep notes of these moments of daily magic will increase our ability to follow the invisible threads of reality.
8. Make every gathering a party. Don't wait for the right circumstances — a vacation, a trip, a birthday — to experience extraordinary things. With the right frame of mind, every day can be a celebration.
9. If you don't like what there is, make something different. Human beings are transformative by nature and have the power to reinvent themselves as many times as it takes. If your reality is too dull and predictable to live with ichigo ichie, you have the opportunity to create another.
10. Be a hunter of special moments. Like with any activity, the more you practice, the better and more abundant the results will be.
